Nurses at Associate-Degree level versus Baccalaureate-Degree level

Nursing is evolving and a higher level of education makes the nurse more efficient and it also opens doors for advancement. There are several educational levels to prepare to become a nurse. There is the Associate Degree, which is 2 year program, a 3 year diploma Degree, and the Baccalaureate, a 4 year nursing program. Although there are some similarities in terms of taking the NCLEX-RN exams and acquiring an RN license after completion, there are also some differences. At both the 2 year Associate Degree and the 3 year diploma Degree levels, the educational qualification is minimum and the nurse is competent enough to give safe professional nursing care, where as in the 4 year Baccalaureate Degree program, it takes 2 years longer to finish and the nurse gets an additional theory based on knowledge with critical thinking skills, competency in problem solving skills, and is able to make nursing diagnosis in patient care while have good communication skills. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), The National voice for Baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs believes that education has a significant impact on the knowledge and competencies of the nurse as it does for all health care providers (AACN). Nurses with Baccalaureate Degrees in nursing have more knowledge to meet the demands required of a present day nurse and are able to recognize their skills in critical thinking, leadership, health promotions and the ability to practice in inpatient/outpatient settings than those at the Associate Degree level. In a study published in the October 2014 issue of Medical Care, researcher Olga Ykusheva, from the University of Michigan, and her colleagues found that a 10% increase in the proportion of Baccalaureate prepared nurses on hospital units was Associated with